Cookie-cutter shapes for pictures

I know that any graphics software and even screen capture programs allow rectangular cropping. I don't want to just do a rectangular crop if a non-rectangular shape would be better for the picture. So I'm looking programs with a "cookie cutting" cropping tool.

It is not obvious in reading about various software tools whether such tools are included. Of course, a free program (eg, PhotoPad that I saw advertised here) is better (but its unclear if PhotoPad allows cookie cutting and how extensive the "cookies" are). I'd assume Photoshop has it but I'd rather spend, at most, the cost of PS Elements (ie, less than $100 US).

A free one to try is Paint.net and it's not too terribly hard to get the hang of. Instead of cropping, use the ellipse or lasso selection tool and set it to keep adding to the selection until you get it the way you want. When its the way you want, copy the selection and paste it as a new image to get the same effect as cropping. If you want to preserve the transparency you'll need to save it in a format that does so, otherwise the image will be filled out to a rectangle shape with a solid color.
PhotoFiltre is another free one with some preset (cookie cutter) selection shapes but I don't think that program preserves the transparency when pasted as a new image.

If you download Paint.net, the link is over on the right side of the page, it is NOT the big green rectangle download button.

The Gimp (a Photoshop like editor, but free) has both an ellipse select tool, which you can manipulate to go from circle to ellipses of different sizes, and a free select tool, which can be pretty much any shape.

On the other hand, paint.net looks good to. I've got too many of these programs now!

Once a photo is open for modification, select either the magic wand, the ellipse selection tool or the rectangle selection tool. A little context sensitive toolbar will open just above those tools. One of the items there will be Selection Mode; change it to add.